Vera Buchanan: Difference between revisions

'''Vera Daerr Buchanan''' (July 20, 1902 &ndash; November 26, 1955) was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from [[Pennsylvania]] from 1951 to 1955.<ref>"[https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/B/BUCHANAN,-Vera-Daerr-(B001009)/ Buchanan, Vera Daerr]," in "History, Art & Archives." Washington, D.C.: U.S. House of Representatives, retrieved online February 23, 2019.</ref> She was the first female member of the U.S. Congress to ever die while holding office, and she and her husband, who had also died in office, were the first congressional wife and husband to both die while still in office.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mariotti |first=Renato |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/this-day-in-politics-100350 |title=Rep. Vera Buchanan dies in office, Nov. 26, 1955 |publisher=[[Politico ]]|date=2013-11-26 |access-date=2018-04-12}}</ref>

During her third and final term in Congress, Buchanan was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Initially committed to working from her hospital bed at the [[Bethesda Naval Hospital]] when she received the diagnosis in June 1955, she continued to do so until she was forced by her failing health to move closer to home. Hospitalized for the final three months of her life at the McKeesport Hospital, she continued working for much of that time until she finally died on November 26, 1955. The first female member of Congress ever to die while still serving,<ref>"Buchanan, Vera Daerr," in "History, Art & Archives," U.S. House of Representatives.</ref> she was buried at the Mount Vernon Cemetery in [[Elizabeth, Pennsylvania]].<ref>"Vera Buchanan, Lawmaker, Dies." New York, New York: ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 27, 1955, p. 88.</ref><ref>"Mrs. Buchanan Dead; In Congress 4 Years." Washington, D.C.: ''[[The Washington Post]]'', November 27, 1955, p. A16.</ref>